The Ministry of Defence has agreed to pay £100,000 compensation to the family of an Iraqi teenager who drowned near Basra after being detained by British troops. In an out-of-court settlement with his relatives’ British lawyers, the MoD did not admit liability for the death of 18-year-old Saeed Shabram in May 2003.

Britain was an occupying power after the invasion of Iraq and failed to carry out effective investigations into the killing of civilians, the European court of human rights has ruled.

The decision by the Strasbourg court could open the Ministry of Defence to a deluge of claims and add to the pressure for further public inquiries into the behaviour of troops in and around Basra after the 2003 invasion.

By extending liability beyond the UK’s territorial limits and outside Europe, the ruling will have far-reaching implications for military operations around the world.

The case was brought by the Birmingham-based firm Public Interest Lawyers on behalf of Iraqis who claimed their relatives had been variously shot dead, raped, disappeared or tortured by British soldiers between 2003 and 2006.

ISAF Joint Command – Afghanistan
2011-05-S-109
For Immediate Release
The following statement is by Major General John Toolan, Commander Regional Command Southwest, International Security Assistance Force.

KABUL, Afghanistan (May 30, 2011) – On behalf of the coalition, the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force General Petraeus, and Commander of the ISAF Joint Command Lieutenant General Rodriguez I want to offer my sincere apologies for the nine civilians who were killed during the incident in Now Zad District, Helmand province that occurred on 28 May.

Any loss of life is a true tragedy and I extend my personal condolences to the families and friends of the U.S. Marine, and to the people of Afghanistan for those who were killed or injured.(more…)

Vickers has known McRaven since he was a Navy SEAL lieutenant commander and Vickers an Army Special Forces captain. They’ve worked especially closely over the past four years, when Vickers served as the Pentagon’s top civilian official overseeing Special Operations forces, including units hunting al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

“Bill is a great leader but also a pretty big thinker,” Vickers said. “It’s a rare balance of these two skills. (more…)

Nearly three miles above the rugged hills of central Afghanistan, American eyes silently tracked two SUVs and a pickup truck as they snaked down a dirt road in the pre-dawn darkness.

The vehicles, packed with people, were 3 1/2 miles from a dozen U.S. special operations soldiers, who had been dropped into the area hours earlier to root out insurgents. The convoy was closing in on them.

At 6:15 a.m., just before the sun crested the mountains, the convoy halted. (more…)